Help
by Neon25
Summary: Adam tries to end Drew's fighting, but it's Katie who suffers the aftermath, THREE SHOT
1. Chapter 1

Adam walked into the cage. Over the past few days, Drew had been coming home from here with bruises and cuts all over his body. When his mother asked, he said it kind of like a sport and injuries were expected. But Adam knew the truth. The truth was that Drew had become a cage fighter.

It was his way to deal with the gang. In Drew's mind, if he could beat someone up in a cage, then he could survive any more Vince attacks. Adam thought that was ridiculous. Adam thought Drew was just doing this to prove his manliness. He was just fighting to show that he won't get beaten up every time.

Adam was sick of it. This needed to end. Tonight. And so here he was, in the fighting cage.

Drew was in the corner of the cage with his back turned towards Adam. He was warming up by throwing punches in the air. He bounced on his feet back and forth. He spun around and stopped when he saw Adam.

"Adam? What are you doing here?" he asked annoyed. He didn't want another lecture on his cage fighting.

Adam shrugged. He still wasn't sure if he liked his plan, but he knew it would work.

"Get out of here, Adam!" Drew yelled. "I have a fight coming up." He went back to bouncing on his feet and punching the air.

"You sure do," Adam said under his breath. Then, in a louder tone, he said, "Alright then, fight me."

Drew looked at him stunned. "What? I'm not going to fight you, Adam. That's ridiculous."

Adam brought his fists up. "No, come on. Fight me. Prove that you can survive." It was Adam's turn to bounce on his feet. Drew scoffed and shook his head. He had an amused smile on his face that disappeared when Adam didn't stop.

"I'm not going to – "

Adam's fist collided with his jaw. It wasn't a hard punch, but enough to get Drew upset. He tried to calm himself but couldn't. Right there, right then, with his little brother in the cage as his opponent, Drew went into fighter mode.

Drew came back running at Adam. He wrapped his arms around his body and shoved him into the cage walls. Adam slumped a little giving Drew enough reaction time to land a punch in his gut. Adam groaned, but pushed Drew away. He backed off his brother, but Drew wasn't done. He began to vigorously land hits. He finally got in one good punch that sent Adam to the ground. Drew climbed on top of him. But he no longer saw his innocent little brother. No. On the ground in front of him was Vince.

He was breathing heavily. But underneath him, Vince was still moving. Still alive. Drew brought back his fist and held it. He then brought it down with enough force to knock Vince out. But it wasn't enough. Drew wanted to end the battle once and for all with Vince. So he brought his fist back up again.

"Drew!" he heard someone yell. Drew looked up from Vince to see a teenage girl running into the cage. She ran over to him and pushed him off of Vince. He stumbled into the other corner of the cage. "Drew, what did you do?" the girl asked.

Katie looked at Drew. His eyes were glossy and his expression was stoic. In all honesty, he was scary. This wasn't the same Drew Torres that she saw at school or anywhere else for that matter. He was different.

Katie then looked over at Adam. He was lying on the ground, unmoving, His face was covered in cuts and bruises. From the looks of it, she assumed when he woke up that he'd be in quite a lot of pain.

She turned back to Drew. "Drew, what did you do?" she asked softly.

Drew watched Vince. He wasn't moving. His face was messed up pretty badly. Drew had finally won. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. Vince disappeared and Adam lie in his place. It took a moment for Drew to understand that he was never fighting Vince. He had beaten his own brother to unconsciousness.

Katie watched as Drew fell to the ground and huddled into the corner. He wrapped his arms around his knees and ducked his head. Softly sobbing, Drew began to rock himself back and forth.

Adam's eyes flashed open and he felt his body come back to him. He looked over and saw a figure in the corner. His eyesight was still adjusting, but he assumed it to be Drew.

"There!" he yelled. "You happy now? You proved you can survive. You proved you can be a man. Now quit the fighting and just go home!" Adam rolled onto his side and hissed. He probably had a cracked rib or two. He reached out for the cage fence and hoisted himself up. But he couldn't take a step. He moved his leg out and immediately fell to the ground again. He groaned in pain.

Katie looked at the younger boy's face. His expression showed pain and hurt, as did the cuts and bruises, but his eyes showed pride and determination. She looked back at the older boy. She didn't know what to do.

They both needed someone to help them. One needed to be consoled and told it was alright. The other needed to be saved. But deep down she knew that while both needed someone, only one of the needed _her_.

Katie looked over at Drew who was still rocking himself. She liked Drew. A lot. She wasn't blind to his former player status or the fact that he cheated on Alli Bhandari. She knew this. But there was something pulling her in. Yes, he was good looking, but there was more. He was vulnerable. She liked that. Recently, Drew had been more closed off to people and opened up to a select few. Katie was happy to say she was one of the select few. They weren't official or anything like that, but they had something.

Then she looked over at Adam who had still failed to notice her presence and was struggling to stand up again. She liked Adam. Not in the same way as Drew though. They definitely had fun together and they had absolutely flirted here and there. But it was never anything big to her. She thought the same about him until he asked her out to the movies. She should've seen it coming. And now she felt bad about it. Katie never really saw Adam in a romantic light, but she thought it could be a possibility in the future. But she had Drew.

Katie still didn't know what to do. So much of her wanted to just leave and let them sort it out. But they needed help. She took a deep breath before walking over to the boy. She really hoped she was making the right move. But deep down, she knew this was boy who needed _her_. Maybe she was wrong. But based on his kid's past, he could use her help right now.

"It's okay, Drew," Katie whispered into his ear as she fell beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and rocked with him. She rubbed his back. "Everything is going to be okay." Drew leaned into her embrace. Katie looked up to see Adam finally standing. His breathing was heavy and his nose and mouth were dripping blood. He held his ribs and looked in pain. Katie hated this. But she made her choice.

Drew had been through so much bad. Perhaps he needed someone like her. Someone without the bad in their life. Someone without the heavy baggage.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he needed the love of his life with him right now, but she was long gone. And yet Drew was still suffering from the baggage she brought on him. Katie felt like maybe this wasn't the right move. But she still wasn't sure.

Katie rocked Drew in her arms as Adam painfully tried to walk away. Both boys needed help; she just hoped that she knew which one needed her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Adam!" Marisol called from down the hallway. Adam immediately pulled his beanie down farther and leaned more into his open locker. "Hey, Adam. Katie told me what happened a few days ago. Are you alright?" she asked. Katie had told her about the Torres brothers fighting in the cage four days ago. Drew had been at school the very next day with all but a scratch on his jaw. Adam, however, hadn't been seen since that night.

"I, uh, I don't know what you're talking about," said Adam anxiously.

Marisol rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb. I told you, Katie _told_ me. I know about the fight," she forcibly told him. Adam clenched his jaw and shut his locker. He spun to face her angrily.

"No, you don't know about the fight. So don't pretend you do," Adam hissed at her. Marisol was a bit taken back by the venom and harshness of his words. "What happened is between Drew and me. No one else. Got it?" Adam spat. Marisol just nodded. "Good," Adam turned to walk away but Marisol stepped beside him. She grabbed his beanie and pulled it off.

"Oh my God," she breathed. Adam's face was just as Katie had told her it would be. He had bruises along his jaw line as well as near his eyes. His cheeks were covered in healing cuts but were still evident. "He really hit you hard, didn't he?" Marisol asked.

Adam looked at her darkly. His usually bright blue eyes seemed clouded and masked. "I _let _him hit me hard," he said in a scary tone. Then he smirked. "Believe me, if I was trying, it would've turned out differently," he said in a much lighter and playful tone.

Just then, Drew emerged at the end of the hallway with a huge smile plastered on his face. KC Guthrie walked with him on his right. And on his left, Katie Matlin. She had her arm hooked in his. Marisol turned to Adam and his face became stoic, unreadable. He pulled his beanie back down to hide the bruises.

"Marisol!" Katie called spotting her best friend. Marisol waved to her and stole one more glance at Adam, who had turned away and began walking down the hall. Seeing Marisol look away from them, Drew turned his attention to see his brother slinking away.

"Hey, I'll be right back. Okay, babe?" he asked Katie. She looked at him confused but nodded anyway. Drew unhooked his arm and ran to catch up to Adam. He caught him at the end of the hall.

Adam was pulled back by a forceful hand on his shoulder. He came face to face with his brother. Adam kept his head down and remained silent.

"Hey, bro. Good to see you back at school," Drew said smiling widely. Adam only shrugged. Drew rocked back and forth on his heels. "Look, I never really apologized for the fight," he started.

"Don't," Adam firmly said. Drew looked at him confused. Adam looked up. "If you want to apologize, then stop fighting. Otherwise, I don't want to hear it." He began to turn away but Drew stepped in front of him.

"Whoa," he said a bit annoyed at Adam's tone. "You want me to stop fighting?"

"What did you think that was about?" Adam raised his voice a bit, but not enough to be yelling quite yet. "You think I let you beat the hell out of me to make you a better fighter? No! Every single time you throw a punch at some innocent guy just for the fun of it, I want you to see my face and remember what you did to me. Because that's what you're doing to someone else. That's what you're doing to a real person."

"Adam, I can't stop! What if Vince – "

"What if Vince what?" Adam yelled. "If he comes after you, he's coming with a gun, Andrew! Throwing punches isn't going to block a bullet!" Adam took a deep breath calming himself. "Look, Andrew, I don't know what you have to prove. But whatever it is, I hope it's worth it," he said a bit distant. "I hope it's worth this," Adam said. He pulled off his beanie to give Drew a clear look at his face covered in cuts and bruises.

While Adam was in the hospital Drew had rarely visited. He always came up with an excuse not to go. In all honesty, he couldn't bring himself to face what he had done. Drew was ashamed he had let it go so far and realized that he was dangerous once he got into fighting mode.

Adam put his beanie back on and snapped Drew out of his thoughts. "You had two people there to save you from yourself - your fighting alter ego self - that night, Drew. Two people who care about you," Adam desperately said trying to get Drew to see it his way.

"No, I didn't. I had myself, only myself to rely on while I was in that cage," he retorted angrily.

Adam shook his head. "It wasn't just you. I let you hit because you needed it. I let you beat me down to the ground. Believe it or not Drew, it wasn't just you in the cage that night," Adam pointed out sadly. "And it wasn't just us either. It was Katie too. You would've killed me if Katie hadn't been there to stop you. You would've stayed in fighting mode if Katie hadn't been there. You're lucky that you have people there to save you," Adam told him. "Some of us aren't so lucky."

There was a hint of sadness that Drew picked up in his brother's voice. For as much as he hated to admit it, Adam was right. It wasn't just him. His attack affected more than just him or just him and the victim. That victim was his innocent little brother. And all those other people he fought against, they were innocent too. But Drew never saw them as such. Every time he stepped in the cage, he was battling Vince. And he wanted to win.

Sensing that Drew got the point, Adam nodded. He took a deep breath and walked down the hall and away from his brother.

Behind him, Marisol watched Adam leave. She hadn't heard the conversation but had picked up on a few words here and there. KC and Katie were deep in conversation and Marisol was pretty sure neither had even noticed that the boy Drew was talking to was Adam. For the past four days Katie had been on the lookout for him and now here he was and she didn't even see him. It bothered Marisol. She knew when her best friend had something on her mind and didn't like it when she didn't know what it was. Right now was one of those times. And Marisol didn't like it one bit.

She and Adam hadn't ever spoken much. Actually, their first conversation was the night of the fashion show. Thinking back, she felt a bit guilty for telling him what she did. She spoke for Katie and didn't think twice about it. But after she learned about Drew's fighting habit, Marisol began to regret not helping Adam. Sure, he wasn't physically male, but he also wouldn't put her best friend in harm's way.

"Marisol? Is everything okay?" she heard Katie ask. But Marisol didn't even turn towards her; she kept her eyes trained on Adam's retreating form. Out of the corner of her eye, Marisol saw Katie focus on Adam's back as well. The look on her friend's face killed her. Katie had something to say to Adam; Marisol knew it. She just didn't know what exactly it was.


	3. Chapter 3

Adam had been getting stares all day. But oddly enough, no one was asking questions. It was as if people wanted to know, but no one really cared. Drew, on the other hand, Adam noticed, was receiving quite a bit of attention for the small cut on his jaw line. Adam had been by when Owen Milligan asked about it.

"_Whoa, man," Owen said noticing Drew's cut. "What happened there?" _

_Drew looked at him puzzled. Owen pointed to the cut on his face and Drew immediately recognized what he was talking about. "Oh, it's nothing. Just another fight. You should see the other guy," Drew said pompously with a snide grin. _

"_A fight?" Owen asked unconvinced. "What kind of fight?"_

"_It was nothing, Owen. Calm down," Drew told him. Going into cage fighting, Owen had warned him multiple times about the danger. Not only did it have no rules and no medical staff at hand, but there were guys who really hated to lose. _

"_Whatever," Owen dismissed him. Drew smiled victoriously._

It didn't annoy Adam so much that Drew hadn't really told the whole truth or that he made it look like something it wasn't. No. What annoyed Adam was that even Owen Milligan, of all people, didn't approve of cage fighting and yet Drew continued to do it!

He slumped forward. He hated this. Being back at school meant that only some of the teachers would let him wear his beanie while others didn't know if he could or couldn't and made him take it off and so, half of the time, his whole class got a look at his face. By now, Adam wouldn't be surprised if there was some crazy rumor about how his face got like that.

His mother had insisted that he take another few days off, just while his injuries heal. Of course, she was very aggressive and rude about it. When he had gotten home, Adam convinced her that he had been mugged in an alley way on the way home. Mrs. Torres didn't buy it and pressed for truth, but Adam insisted that's what happened. So his mother, obviously, get upset by the while situation even though Adam had been the victim. She blamed it on him. It sucked, but it was his life. Last night, he finally got his mom to allow him to come to school today. It took a lot of effort, but he got what he wanted. Now he just had to make it through the day. Adam banged his head against his locker.

"That'll just make your bruises worse," Katie Matlin said as she approached him. Adam looked back at her with a stone face and no emotion in his eyes. Katie gulped. "Um, I'm glad I found you," she told him. "How are you?"

"Honestly?" Adam asked. Katie nodded her head. "Well, my head is thumping, every time I walk I feel like I've been punched in the gut, and the cuts and bruises are really sensitive. So, I'm just fine. How about you?" Adam asked with sarcastic enthusiasm.

Katie turned her head away. "I'm sorry," she said softly. It felt like this was her fault. She could've helped Adam that night and maybe he wouldn't have spent four days in a hospital. She heard Adam sighed beside her. He turned his back to the lockers and leaned back. Katie watched as he let his body slide down his locker and sit on the floor. She casually sat next to him.

There was silence for a few moments. "Don't be," Adam told her. She looked at him confused. "Sorry. Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault," Adam said. His voice was sad and depressed, but his eyes were hurt and pained.

"Yes it is," Katie said ashamed. "That night…I could've helped you…but…I didn't."

More silence followed. Katie looked at Adam and didn't know what to say. She felt like it was her fault. Not just the fight, but the tension between the brothers, the cage fighting, Adam's injuries. It was all her fault.

"You're right," Adam finally said. Katie looked at him a bit shocked that he would say that. Adam faced her with intensity in his eyes. "You could've helped me, but you didn't. And it's okay," he said. "You know, this might sound a bit crazy," he started chuckling a bit, "but I'm glad you were there. And I'm glad you chose Drew." His voice became serious and foreign to Katie. She had never heard him talk like this.

Adam turned away and leaned his head against the locker. "Drew…he needed you that night," Adam told her.

Katie stared at him. "But maybe you did too," she said quietly. Adam snapped his head back to her. She continued. "I know that things between us are…awkward to say the least. But I can't shake this feeling that I made the wrong choice that night, Adam," Katie said. She looked at Adam who seemed to be listening intently to each word. "It's just, Drew refuses to talk about it. All of it. The fighting, the gang, Bianca, his paranoia," Katie listed. She got quiet for a moment before holding his gaze. "You."

Adam kept his eyes on Katie's for a split second more. He saw her hesitantly lean towards him. Then he tore his eyes away and pulled his head back. "This, this can't happen," he managed to get out. "I, uh, I got to go." Adam jumped up and looked around nervously, afraid someone may have seen them. When he turned, he immediately found Katie by his side pulling on his wrist.

"Adam, please," Katie begged. "Talk to me." Her eyes were pleading with him. Adam softened then tensed up when he realized what was happening.

"No," he said pulling his arm away from her grasp. "I…this can't happen. Drew needs you." The words came out more as if Adam was saying them to convince himself of that fact rather than to convince Katie.

"But what about me?" Katie asked in a small voice unlike her own. Adam looked at her to see a vulnerable person he had never seen before. Katie was always confident and self assured. To see her break down, to see her so helpless, it hit Adam hard. Katie kept her head down, but could feel Adam move closer to her. "What about what I need?"

For a moment, Katie felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders as Adam brought her into a hug. It was strange to her to feel so open and honest, but she knew that Adam, of all people, would be understanding and caring towards her. That moment ended when Adam pulled away and Katie felt exposed again.

"Katie, you are amazing. You walk around the school like you own it even though you're only in grade eleven. You keep everything business as business even when it affects you personally. And," Adam said lifting her chin to look her in the eyes, "you know what's best for you even when you question it."

Katie looked at Adam and he looked back. She wished this moment would never end, but she knew it would. Soon. Too soon. Then they would go back to their normal lives. She would go back to being content with dating Drew and hanging out with Marisol and running the school paper. And he would go back to being invisible.

"Bad things happen, Katie. That's just life. Some people can't deal with it. But you, Katie, you can deal with anything," Adam's voice was so sincere and so truthful that Katie wished she could believe him.

"Adam," she called with a distant voice. "Why did you do it? Why did you fight Drew?" she asked. It had been a question bothering her since that night. He knew Drew was stronger than him. He knew Drew could beat him. Why would be expose himself to that?

Adam laughed and pulled away from Katie. "Because Drew needs the image of what he is capable of burned into his mind forever. He needed to see how his fighting hurts the people he cares about," Adam explained. "And there was no way I was going to let it be you."

Katie gasped a little bit at the intensity of his words. It felt as though Adam was willing to do anything for his brother. But was willing to do even more to keep her safe. Katie rushed over to Adam and wrapped him in a hug.

"I wish things between us weren't the way they are," she said.

"I know. Me too," he replied hugging her back.

She pulled away from him. Adam had a goofy grin plastered to his face making Katie giggled. It felt good to laugh. She hadn't really done it all that much the past few days worrying about Drew and about Adam.

He smiled at her once more before he turned to walk away. Up until then, today had sucked for him. But talking to Katie made him feel like everything he did was for a good reason. That was something he had forgotten along the road.

"Hey, Adam!" he heard from behind him. He spun around to see Katie smiling brightly. "Thanks," she said. Adam quickly looked down at his feet humbled before looking up to meet her eyes. When he did, he found her right in front of him. "For everything," she told him. Katie leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

Adam shrugged. "It's what I do," he joked.

"Well, maybe you could do it more?" Katie questioned teasingly. Adam raised an eyebrow. "I could really use someone to talk to. And you did say it's what you do so…" Katie trailed off.

"Sure. I would love to talk to you," he said smirking. "Anytime."

They smiled at each other once more before Adam turned away. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the hall.

The truth was he and Katie would probably never do this again in the near future. Maybe never. But Adam didn't mind. Something told him that this was the closure he needed from her. Did he think that she and Drew would last? No. Adam knew that Katie was just Bianca's place holder for Drew while he got over his paranoia. Part of him wanted to tell her that, but it wasn't worth it. There was no bad blood between the two and that's just how Adam wanted. Who knows? Maybe once Katie and Drew break up, Adam would finally get his chance with her. Even if he didn't, they would always have this conversation.


End file.
